Police Trial

The story about Sgt. Don Berstler surely is not complete as written (“Officer’s Testimony Puts Him on Trial With His Peers,” Sept 30). If Officers Harvey Love and William Jacob Rudershausen have a history of beating suspects, or similar allegations, then The Times owes us more information. If that is not the case, then there is no reason for this prosecution and there should be no story at all.

What I see, as a concerned citizen, is the tragic demise of three officers and the probable loss of cooperation between law enforcement departments. All that can come of this is a loss of public protection, wasted time for the courts, and a good laugh for the criminals whose prosecutions have been set aside while this travesty was wasting time for the court.

Even without all else that has happened in Southern California law enforcement this year, this issue should have been handled administratively. That would have rendered sufficient punishment without costing the agencies--and the public--three well trained and qualified officers.

The prosecutor, Mr. Jeff Dusek, was quoted as saying, “There was no reasonable, legitimate or legal reason for me to reject this case. I thought the defendants were guilty and I had a reasonable chance of winning.” If that is accurate, then I suggest that Mr. Dusek is guilty of poor judgment and self-serving action that leaves him and his superiors with questionable credentials.

RON HOWETH, San Diego